Rapid Assessment Report for the Effects of the Earthquake in Bohol Province, Philippines October 17-20, 2013
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Save the Children – Philippine Country Office October 2013 Rapid Assessment Report for the Effects of the Earthquake in Bohol Province, Philippines October 17-20, 2013 Save the Children Assessment Team Benjamin Delfin II Nestor De Veyra Junica Soriano Allan Tuazon 0 Save the Children – Philippine Country Office October 2013 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS On October 15, 2013, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake was recorded in the island province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the epicenter of the tectonic earthquake was in the municipality of Sagbayan. An earthquake of intensity VII was recorded in Bohol and nearby cities in adjacent Cebu province. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reports that a total of 703, 224 families or 3,542, 281 individuals were affected. One hundred eighty-five (185) persons died while 583 were injured. The estimated cost of damages is about USD18.53 million. As of October 20, 2013 1700H, PHIVOLCS has recorded 2,104 aftershocks of which 41 were felt. Both provinces of Bohol and Cebu have declared a state of calamity. Save the Children Philippine Country Office deployed a rapid assessment and response team that arrived in Bohol on October 17. The team covered eight (8) municipalities including Antequera, Carmen, Catigbihan, Cortes, Loon, Maribojoc, Sagbayan, and Tubigon. From the areas surveyed, Antiquera, Loon and Maribojocare being recommended for interventions on Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH), Education, and Child Protection. The recommendation is made on the basis of lack of access to immediate support due to impassable road conditions, severity of damages to households and schools, and number of affected families. Figure showing target areas for intervention. 1 Save the Children – Philippine Country Office October 2013 Based on the assessment, the team recommends the following interventions: Sector Recommendations Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Provision of water kits with lid Provision of hygiene kits Conduct of hygiene promotion sessions Provision of toilet facilities in community home- based evacuation centers with large numbers of families Child Protection Psychosocial interventions for children must commence as soon as possible to include conduct of recreational activities. Quick mobilization of trained volunteers to facilitate and monitor the sessions and child activities respectively. Safe space for children through CFS tents must be established especially for those staying at school grounds and other large open areas. Coordination with the local government unit and DSWD to facilitate action to stop children in some affected municipalities from begging especially along main roads or highways. Provision of plastic sheets for every family to augment or support materials for temporary shelter to include mats and blankets to decrease children’s vulnerability to health and environmental hazards. Education Support to education through setting-up temporary learning spaces once classes resume. Conduct of debriefing sessions for teachers Provision of teaching learning kits Provision of back to school kits Conduct of school based-DRR Support school repair to include WASH facilities ASSESSMENT PLAN The overall purpose of the mission was to conduct a rapid needs assessment of the affected populations in Bohol province. More specifically: 1. To provide an overview of the situation in the affected area/s to include immediate needs as basis for intervention and planning 2. To assess the needs triggered by the earthquake in Bohol with consideration to logistics, security, Child Protection, Shelter and NFI, WASH, Health and Nutrition, Education in Emergencies, Food Security and Livelihood, depending on context-specific relevance 3. To map out on-going support by other actors such as Local Government Units, National Government Agencies, Local NGOs and International NGOs 4. To provide recommendations for action and consideration in the development of proposals based on the needs identified 2 Save the Children – Philippine Country Office October 2013 The team was expected to produce a duly verified assessment report that includes short and intermediate term needs of the identified target beneficiaries along with recommendations for immediate action. Defining logistics structures and procedures to facilitate rapid response operations was also a priority. The assessment team was composed by the following Save the Children staff: Staff Designation Delfin II, Benjamin Emergencies Manager De Veyra, Nestor Education in Emergencies In-Country Focal Point Soriano, Junica Program Coordinator, Emergency Response to Affected Families of Southwest Monsoon Tuazon, Allan Logistics Manager METHODOLOGY The team conducted the assessment through visual inspection, interview and data gathering with the affected families and authorities in the municipalities. Triangulation was done through collection of releases and rosters from Local Government Units (LGUs) and government agencies, key informants interviews, ocular/observational assessments, home/school/evacuation center visits, and sector-based information collection. These methods were selected to ensure as much comprehensiveness and output validity as possible given the limited time available. Government offices and agencies tapped include the Provincial/Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices (P/MDRRMOs), City/Municipal Social Welfare and Development (C/MSWD), City Health Offices, city mayors and barangay chair offices. Due to the time element and limited sizes of field teams, this rapid assessment cycle had limitations in scope. Data is heavily reliant on reports from LGUs, and beyond the team’s capability to fully validate. At the time of collection, city and municipality-level agencies were also still in the process of responding to immediate needs on top of assessing and consolidating data so some reports were partial. BACKGROUND On October 15, 2013, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake was recorded in the island province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) places the epicenter of the earthquake at 6kms south of the municipality of Sagbayan. Intensity VII scale earthquake was recorded in Tagbilaran City, Bohol and nearby cities in Cebu province (such as Cebu City, Lapu-lapu City, and Mandaue City). The province of Bohol is a first-class province subdivided into 3 congressional districts, 47 municipalities and 1 city. It has 1,114 barangays with a total population of 1,255,128 (2010) and an average household size of 5.41. It is the tenth largest out of the Philippines’ more than 7,000 islands. Ecotourism has become an important source of income for the province. The Chocolate Hills, the Tarsier Sanctuary and the river in Loboc has attracted visitors and opportunities for livelihood. Employment is otherwise largely agriculture-based. Bohol has a well-developed road system that enables access to all barangays. It has an airport and a couple seaport that enables easy access to and from nearby islands and also makes trade easy. Prior to the earthquake, water and electricity were of relatively good supply. 3 Save the Children – Philippine Country Office October 2013 GENERAL HUMANITARIAN SITUATION Overall A total of 703,224 families with 3.5 million persons have been affected from 8 cities, 53 towns, 1,394 barangays and 6 provinces in Regions VI and VI. Classes in schools have been suspended indefinitely. As of October 20, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council reports official tallies for victims and populations affected by the floods: Bohol Earthquake in Numbers Affected individuals 3,542,281 Affected families 703,244 Displaced individuals 370,495 Displaced families 78,585 Families in evacuation centers 22,816 Families outside evacuation centers (displaced) 55,769 Evacuation Centers 93 Barangays 1,394 Cities 8 Municipalities 54 Provinces 6 Areas in state of calamity 2 Houses damaged 36,645 Bridges damaged 39 Roads damaged 18 Dead 185 Injured 583 Missing 9 Total Estimated costs of damages Php 759,640,000.00 In Bohol Initial reports from Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) indicate a total of 146 individual mortalities with most number of deaths occurring in Loon (42 deaths), Maribojoc (15 deaths), & Antequera (13 deaths). Among these mortalities, 27 are with identified causes of death. 78% (21 individuals) died from collapsed structure with the remaining 19% (5 individuals) and 3% (1 individual) dying from landslide and fallen trees respectively. A total of 21 individuals are also reported as missing. Majority of missing individuals reported are from Loon (11 individuals). A total of 186 individuals are reported as injured with majority of injured individuals from the municipalities of Tubigon, Tagbilaran, & Inabanga. Injuries from these municipalities comprise 69% (129 individuals) of the total reported injuries in the province. Accessibility of affected municipalities proves to be a significant challenge with 10 roads currently not passable. Accessibility to affected areas is also hindered by damage to key bridges in the province. The Mualong Bridge in the municipality of Loon collapsed along with Camaya- an, Abatan, Asinan, & Hunan Bridge that are currently submerged in water. Key building and structures are in the province are damaged. Seven schools are reported to be unserviceable. Cong. Natalio Castillo Memorial Hospital in the municipality of Loon is also wrecked. Municipal